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y "To all whom 'it may concern:

u `R,,F1"rzenRALD, or NiiwAnK, :Naw innsnr, AssrGNon iro tiaooTHhisAME PLAGE i i i MAHINE i$01@Folnvirivcrl HATfBODISr j i `ySpecification of Letters Patent No. 26,395, dated December Be it known that I, RICHARD FITZGERALD, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,.have invented a new andIm proved Machine for Forming Hat-Bodies; and I `do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionof `the same, reference being had `tof` the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a vertical central section of my invention. Fig. 2, is ahorizontal sec` tion of dittotaken in the line m, Fig. 1. Fig.` 3, is a horizontal section of ditto, taken in the line y, y, Fig. l. Fig. 4, is a detached 'plan or top `view of the revolving cards and fan.

l Similar letters of reference indicate` corresponding parts in the several figures; l

This invention consists in a novelway of distributing and presenting the fur tothe former, substantially as hereinafter described, whereby the fur is deposited on the former withva very even graduation and by a very simple means. y

The invention also consists in a peculiar arrangement `of the driving mechanism of the former, its suction chamber and slide, whereby the former may be drawn from its working position and its rotation automatically stopped for the removal o f the formed body, and shoved back again in working position and automatically set in motion to receive the fur for the formation of the succeeding body. l l The invent-ion further consists in the employment `or use of revolving cards or pickersplaced within a stationary and co-centric shell also provided with cardsor pickers andV used if necessary in connection with fan-blades "or wings for properly `disintegrating the fur or loosening its fiber and discharging the same over and around the former. l A

To enable those skilledin the art `to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a framing which` may be constructed in any suitable way to support the working parts of the device.

B, `is a flooring underneath which a rotary suction fan C, is placed, said fan being fitted within a suitable case or box D, provided with a discharge spout.` The fanl C, may be constructed in any of the known or most approved ways; it is placed on a ver- `still allowed to workffreely and `to catch into aholeinthejslide and iste.`

clearly in Fig. 31. f f In theflooring B, "",circularopelllng is made co-centricwithlthe faIiC, and Ye ,6U this opening aboxE,`i`s` "laced whiclifispro f vided with a slideG, `at its ftopl Thisslid l G, is fittedand allowedltof slide freelybetween guides c, c, ateaeh` side loflthe"bo"X., and in the slideatabout its(':enter` a w-"er` tical tube or `pipeI-Lfis@fitted snugly bt n therein. To the upperendfof thei" tube pipe H, a circular dish-shaped-hoppr l l attached, and to the under ,sideof this lo" per an `annular`bearinglpiece,or lied d 1s secured, said bed havingffour pendentlguide bars e, attached, which bars passthrugh the slide G, are perforateda-ndsecuredat any` l desired height within thefrange `of "their movement by' pins l l Within the tubeorpipe H, avertica shaft J, is placedcentrally,the lowerlendof` said shaft having a pulley `9.7,.,attalh'd` to y f it, the shaft being supportedlon itsyupper 30 guide or bearing 71;,by a collar 27-, thejllower` f guide z, of the-shaft--beingfat the lwihend of the tube or pipe. {'Io `the"upper en` of) the shaft J, an annular bedK,isattached l Thisbedis just overthebottoin ofthehop185 .l l

tical axis E, which at@ l per I, but not in Contact withit-L` This -bed y l,

K, supports the former `L;` whichr;mayi `he constructed of wire cloth joryperforatd metal l j plate and in the "usual conical form.` "Tonne l w side of the box F, acatcli-Lis securedllTh" catch may be `simply ahol'r so arranged" the latter in proper position, as l shown particularly in Fig.` 2Q Onthelflobri andwithin the box F, afverticaldrumis placed, as shown clearly `in "Figfl The ,l shaft of this drum lextends belowth 1flooring B, and has apflley `c,fp`lacedl1on` it".` Around the drunrM, `andpulley `ofthe l y shaft J, an elasticbelt il; passes. Thefanjlqq C, and shaftlJ, are driven from al vertical .l shaft N, the fan `being.; driven `direct;lb means of abelt m, and the sha-ft J, driven through the mediumof the"druniM,ljand elastic belt l, the drum receiving itswmotion m from the shaftN, byabelt ai; whiclflpasses l 3 around the pulley l y" 1 In theupper part of the framing A, there `l; are two pendants o, o, to the lowerends of which a conical shell y0," is attachediffThis im". shell O, has a` recess 72, formed within. itA 'at its inner side, `said. lrecess `exteniiliiig"` "all "L Y:lo

around the interior of the shell and forming a reception chamber for the fur, as will be hereinafter described. Within the shell .0, and just belowtherecess p, a series of cards or pickers g, are attached, and a similar series 1*, are attached to the lower part of the shell. Within the shell O, there are placed two revolving rings or wheels P, Q, co-centric with each other and the shell O, the shaft s, of the ring or'wheel P, passes through the shaft t, of the wheel Q, the lattershaft t, fitting loosely on s. The ring or Wheel P, is larger than Q, and-it has a series of cards or pickers u, attached to it on its` upper surface at its edge, see Fig. 4. The smaller ring or wheel also has a Series of cards or pickers o, attached to it at its lower end, and also a series of fan-blades w. The surfaces of the rings or wheels P, Q, to which the cards or pickers u, fu, are attached, are inclined corresponding to the inclination ofthe interior of the shell O, as shown clearly in Fig. l. The smaller ring or wheel Q, is made to rotate faster than the larger one P; they may both rotate in the same directionv and are driven by belts a', a', from the driving shaft N, as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

' The operation is as follows The shaft N, is rotated by any convenient power and the fur is fed into the chamber ip, by an attendant. The fur is acted upon by the rotary and stationary cards or pickers and fully disintegrated or its fiber loosened and a current -of air or blast is generated by the rotation of the cards or pickers or fanblades w either or both said blast discharging the loosened or disintegrated fur out from the annular opening or space Z7', between the lower ends of the larger ring or wheel P, and shell O. This annular opening or space ZJ, is co-centric with the former L, and at a suitable distance above it, and as the fur, designated by c', is discharged from the annular opening or space b, it is drawn upon the former by the suction'blast gen- Y erated by the rotation of the fan C, the former L, rotating as the fur is deposited upon it. The fur c', it will be understood is discharged from the opening b, all around the former L, in the form of a hollow cylinder and the suction blast consequently will draw the fur equally on the former all around it, provided its discharge from the opening b, is uniform or equal at all points. To obviate any uneven deposition of the fur on the former from an uneven discharge, the former has a moderate rotary movement given it which it receives from the bed K. The fur will be deposited thicker on the former near its base and gradually decrease in thickness toward its upper end. This result is due to the gradually decreasing strength of the suction blast as the distance increases from the upper end or mouth of the tube or pipe H,in conjunction with the assistance given the suction blast by the downward blast generated by the fan-blades fw, or the pickers. vThis will befully understood by referring to Fig. l, in which itwill be seen that at the lower part of the former L, the suction blast generated byfan C, and

the-direct or 'fur-discharging blast generated by the blades w, are nearer in line with each other or more direct than at any other point. It will therefore be seen that the deposit of the fur on the former will be just as required, that is, gradually decreasing in thickness from its base to its apex, and it will also be seen that the graduation of the fur` on the former may be varied as desired, by simply raisingand lowering the former,'which is done by raising and lowering' the tube or pipe- H, and bars e, the latter being secured at the desired height by the pins f, as previously stated. A The hopper I, serves to catch particles of'fur that-may be projected by the upper blast from the blades w, beyond the suction blast and deflect said particles on the former as indicated by the red dotted lines in Fig. 1.

VWhen suflicient fur has been deposited on thezfo'rmer L, to form a body, the operator releases the catch j, and the belt Z, owing to its elasticity, will throw out the slide G, so that the former will be out from underneath the shell O, and its rotation stopped on account of the laXity of belt Z. The former with the body upon it may then be removed from the bed K, with facility, and an empty former placed on the bed. The slide G, is then shoved back, and the belt Z, consequently tightened and the former rotated for the formation of a succeeding hat body. In lieu of the elastic belt Z, a rigid belt may be used in connection with a loaded slide pulley in order to admit of the moving of the slide G. This however would be equivalent to the elastic belt.

All machines for forming hat bodies that have hitherto passed under my observation have had the fur directed horizontally on the former, and in order that an even body may be formed, the rotation of the former must be perfectly regular or even and the fur must also be fed evenly to the former. But in my invention as the fur is fed down over and all around the former it will be seen that the only obstacle .in the way of a perfectly even body would be an unevenness in the feed or discharge of the fur, and as this would be slight in a properly constructed machine, the rotation of the former will fully compensate for such contingency.

Although only two rotary rings or wheels P, Q, are shown and described, still more may be employed if desired, two however will probably be sufficient, and if necessary the usual devils may be connected with the recess p, of the shell O.

y lll-aving thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to Secure by Letters Patent, is,- y i i 1. Distributing the fur c, on the former L, by discharging the same through an annular opening b', overhand eo-centrievvith the former L, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The employment or use of the stationary shell O, provided with the recess p, cards or pickers g, r," and having Within it the eo-centrie rota-ry Wheels P, Q, one or more, also provided with cards or pickers fu, lw, and With or Without fan-blades `W,

when said parts are arranged relatively as described.` n n 3. The emp` i G, with the slidl tube `orlpi eH, fitte Within thereinfeontalningl the; fljrlnei-"sh,` J, the box F, and elgvsti elt Z, or its equi lent the above parts"` arranged rela tively with thelsotion lfan C, andthe shelll` O, and Wheelsjl?,` Q,`substanti`a,lly` as"`and for the purposefSpecified.` n V RICHARD FITZGERALD.

Vitnesses:` i F GEO. DUGKWormai,y G. F'. FOCKNIGK. 

